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Bud Fowler was born a half-hour outside of Cooperstown, New York in 1858. His family moved to the eventual home of the Hall of Fame a short time later.

One of black baseball’s earliest pioneers, Fowler was awarded a plaque in the town he grew up in 164 years after his birth.

Fowler played organized white baseball before the de facto color line was erected. Starting in the late 1870s, he played for more than two decades.

Born John W. Jackson Jr., Fowler called everyone he met, “Bud”. Soon it became how he himself was known. He took the name Bud Fowler when he first began his professional career. The reasons for the change in his surname remain unknown.

Many baseball historians consider Fowler the first African-American to play the game professionally. Because of the color of his skin, Fowler bounced from team-to-team in the minor leagues.

Facing racial discrimination shortly after the US was at war with itself over the institution of slavery, Fowler hit .308 in more than 2,000 at bats in organized baseball.

He was usually the only black man on his teams’ rosters. Because of his greatness on the field, Fowler along with Frank Grant and George Stovey are considered the best black players of their day.

The versatile Fowler began his career as a pitcher. Soon he played primarily in the infield, most often at second base.

His Hall of Fame candidacy grew in the early 2000s that shined a spotlight on the contribution of black men to the game. The skillset of the 5’7″, 155-pound Fowler came to light.

Cooperstown’s Early Era Committee met in December 2021 and voted Fowler in based on his versatility and outstanding hitting, pitching, and fielding.

Fowler, who died just short of his 55th birthday in 1913 finally got his due. Less than five examples of Fowler’s signature are known to exist. His autograph is not in the CooperstownExpert.com collection at this time.